Shadow Man
by Koomahana
Summary: Everyone thought she was just a genius, just another prodigy that made Konoha even more renowned with its neighbors. No one would've guessed that she had help from a traveler of time and space. Spin off of 'Tempest' by cywsaphyre
1. chapter 1

**Shadow Man**

 **Koomahana**

chapter 1: and so the secret spills

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She sat nervously in the seat beside her friend, Naruto in all of his oblivious enthusiasm continued chattering and swinging his feet. She remained at his side, head bowed, eyes shadowed, body shaking and her right hand clapping Naruto's like it was a life line. She could feel the Hokage's eyes on her, feel the weight of the questions he had, feel the weight of his guards hiding in the room, feel the weight of the situation at hand baring down on her like a mountain. She was scared, terrified, of this man she hasn't yet met but was also related to her friend; how dangerous was the Hokage anyways?

"Jiji!" Naruto whined loudly, "you're not listening!" The old man chuckled and straightened in his seat, his folded hands dropping from in front of his face to reveal the gentle smile he was previously bidding.

"Sorry Naruto-kun," she glanced up briefly to look at her friend, watching his bright blue eyes light up with his grandfather's attention. "I was wondering if little Sakura-Chan was feeling okay." Sakura jumped as Naruto's attention was instantly on her, eyes wide and scared as he examined her face carefully. He raised a hand and lifted her bangs carefully, knowing full well she didn't like people seeing her forehead.

"Sakura-Chan!" Naruto's voice cracked in worry, his big blue eyes widening as his face neared her own. "Are you feeling sick again?! You want me to get you some water?!"

"N-Naruto-kun," Sakura stuttered, her cheeks pinkening as she shook her head. Naruto pulled his hand back slowly, letting her hide behind her wall of pink once more. He knew it was her way of protecting herself from others, she was sensitive to others emotions and knew that just looking into someone's eyes often made her feel ill. "J-just... Just a little," Sakura stuttered out, her cheeks still pink beneath her matching hair. Naruto gave a small reassuring smile before hopping off the chair. "Ah! N-Naruto-kun!" She didn't want him to leave her, there was something truly scary about his grandfather.

"Don't worry Sakura-Chan!" Naruto smiled up at her, "I trust jiji! And you trust me so there's no problem!"

"Huh?" Sakura tilted her head to the side, her fear remained strong as her grip on his hand has yet to loosen.

"A shinobi can't serve someone they can't trust, right?" Naruto asked, laughter seemed to shimmer his summer blue eyes. Sakura nodded purely, wondering what he was trying to get at. "Well I'm gonna be the best Hokage in history! So if I say you can trust him then you can!" Sakura took in a deep breath, her eyes widening behind her pink fringe. "When I become the Hokage, you'll be my best shinobi! That means you trust me lots and lots!" Sakura nodded quickly, just to reassure this truth she hadn't noticed taking place. "Well I trust jiji and you trust me, so you can trust jiji too!" Sakura looked hesitantly through her bangs up at the old man sitting before them. His arms were resting on the desk in comfort, his smile was gentle even as his eyes glittered in amusement, even his face seemed to relax as he stared fondly at Naruto. She couldn't sense him anymore, that darkness she felt when she entered was gone, like a leaf on the wind. Slowly Sakura returned her attention back to Naruto, staring into his bright glittering eyes like she could find a support beam to hold on to. Taking in a deep steadying breath, Sakura slowly nodded her consent and released Naruto's hand; resting both of her own in her lap.

"Great! I'll be right back Sakura-Chan!" Naruto cheered and dashed for the door. "Oh yeah!" Naruto stumbled to a stop, turning he looked back at the chair containing his friend, his smile widened as he saw that she was already leaning halfway out of the seat to watch him go. "Crow-San is here! So you're really, really, super safe!" As if to make a point, the ANBU agent appeared crouching beside the chair Sakura remained in. The man chuckled as Sakura exclaimed excitedly and dived into his arms, feeling comfort and safety in the agent's warm embrace. There were few people Sakura trusted outside of her parents and best friend. The others happened to be the guards of said best friend and of the two rotating teams, Crow was her favorite. Naruto laughed as he dashed out of the room, another guard named Raven appeared before following the excited blonde out of the room. Raven was the leader of the second team that protects Naruto, she was relaxed and calm enough to not care who sees her and who doesn't. Sakura respected the woman greatly as she never hesitated to make her presence known when a threat was nearby but she didn't interfere in their scuffles and only observed their reactions to the threat at hand. Crow was Sakura's favorite because he didn't hesitate to protect them or randomly grab them up and start roof hopping for the fun of it.

"Sakura-Chan," Crow's voice was soft and gentle, reminding her to focus on the meeting she was participating in. "Remember your manners and everything will be okay." Sakura sighed as Crow stood and took the two steps it requires to sit in the chair comfortably. Sakura snugged closer to him and kept a tight hold around his neck, she was scared to look at the Hokage.

"Sakura-Chan," Hiruzen called gently, trying to relax for her benefit. "I would like you to tell me how you did what you did." Sakura didn't respond, instead she remained statue still in Crow's hold, face hidden in the crook of his neck. The room fell silent as the men waited patiently for the girl to answer the question, after a minute and a half a soft snore was heard from the pinket.

"Sakura!" Crow barked, he pushed her away and snatched up both of her cheeks, pulling them apart as he scolded her. "That is very rude! Pay attention when someone is speaking to you! Don't fall asleep!"

"Swawee!" Sakura cried, tears rolling down her cheeks as Crow continued to stretch her cheeks as punishment. "Weelee! Eas et o!" Crow released her cheeks and she immediately slapped both hands over them protectively.

"It's very rude to ignore someone who's speaking, young lady," Crow told her sternly. "Now answer Hokage-sama's questions." Without acknowledging the girls pout, he lifted her into the air, spun her around and sat her down in his lap again. This time she was forced to face Hiruzen, unable to escape his curious black eyes.

"Sakura-Chan, can you tell me how old you are?" Hiruzen smiled at her, hoping it would put her at ease.

"...five," she answered, her pout not lessening as her hidden gaze slipped to the floor. Hiruzen nodded, he already knew everything about her: from her blood type to the pointed time she had been born, even who her parents were and their relation to the village. Her father was a simple merchant, he traveled with his family before settling in Konoha with his chosen wife. He continued being a merchant but he simply supplied the storefront for it instead of accompanying the merchandise around the continent like he used to. Her mother was a civilian baker, a seventh generation konohanian whose family moved into the valley as a support civilian family while the village was under construction. Sakura Haruno: an eighth generation konohagakure resident, blood type o negative, chakra level nearly undetectable, appearance average for her father's family tree, age five years three days ago.

"Can you tell me if you can use chakra like Naruto-kun says?" The little girl straightened in Crows lap, as if she was surprised by the question. But then her shoulders slumped, her head tilted to the side and her bangs parted just enough to guess her expression. He had the distinct impression that the girl was staring at him dully, like he just asked her what color the sky was. Crow sighed and shifted his legs, reminding the girl to use her voice instead of staring like a fish.

"Yes," Sakura answered, sighing heavily as if she thought the question was an obvious one.

"Can you tell me how you managed to save children a few days ago?" Hiruzen watched as the girl's spine straightened, her hidden eyes rising to look in his direction but he couldn't tell where her eyes were locked. The little girl seemed to be staring at him in consideration, as if weighing the pros and cons of telling him her knowledge. Finally, after what felt like a moment too soon, the girl slumped against Crow's breast plate and let her bangs part to reveal one closed eye.

"I... I felt something," Sakura whispered. "Like... darkness but a different kind, like it wished bad things and wanted bad things. I didn't know where it was going but I knew... I knew my friend was in danger so I moved."

"Can you tell me what that dark thing wanted?" Hiruzen asked, Sakura's closed eye opened and he regretted asking the question. The little girl's eye was dull and lifeless, lost in a memory she wanted to forget but didn't know how. It was a strange shade of green, like the early morning mists of the springs were dyed apple green and left to drift aimlessly amongst the still pools of the hot springs.

"He wanted things dyed in red," Sakura whispered, "he... He wanted..." Sakura's face scrunched up, shaking her head again, Sakura maneuvered her bangs back over her eyes. "He wanted bad things," she turned away from Hiruzen, laying her head against Crow's shoulder and pretending to disappear in his tightening embrace. Hiruzen remained silent for a moment, he could guess what she meant by that and a part of him was angry that a little could sense the negative emotions of the kidnapper. But what made him madder was that the agents protecting Naruto hadn't been able to sense him until the intruder appeared in the park and made a b-line straight for the children. Sakura and Naruto had the misfortune to be near several bloodline carrying children; such as Hinata Hyuga and Sasuke Uchiha. Their a pointed guards had been nearby and closing in fast but it was Sakura who appeared before Sasuke and Hinata. According to the guards of the two heirs, Sakura's practice Kunai reached up to block the fist of the intruder. The man paused briefly and it gave Sakura the needed amount of time to slice open his wrist and send her free fist into his jaw. The two guards had their respectful bloodlines activated so neither one missed how bright Sakura's fist was glowing, they also hadn't missed how the girl immediately fainted. The two guards were able to retreat with the children to the hospital, several chunins rushed forward to help carry the children while they left the Anbu agents to deal with the wounded intruder.

"Sakura-Chan, can you tell me how you got in front of the man so quickly?" Hiruzen asked, he tried to be as gentle as he could but he could see how the question wasn't appreciated.

"I read it in a book," Sakura grumbled. "The ninja dash is something lots of older ninja do. But the book didn't tell me how to do it so I watched lots of older ninja to see what they did. I caught sight of a hand sign and started practicing it. It took me a long time to get it... but I'm still bad at it."

"How so?" Hiruzen asked, "other children your age can't perform that jutsu. I think you did beautiful in that situation."

"I went too far in front of them," Sakura turned to look at Hiruzen, her face twisting into a grumpy look. "I wanted to get behind them, grab them and retreat back to Naruto-kun. Instead I ended up in front of him and had to ruin my birthday present."

"Your birthday present?" Hiruzen asked curiously, the girl sighed heavily.

"Aunty made me a dress and I got blood on it." Sakura explained sullenly. "And Naruto-kun gave me the wooden kunai to play with. I broke that one too."

"A wooden kunai?" Hiruzen questioned. Crow shifted in discomfort, a harsh cough cleared his throat and gave him the opportunity to sign the word that explained what she meant. Sakura didn't have any blunted, lightweight, old shinobi weapons on her at the time of the attack. She only had the single wooden practice kunai; to which she used to sever a major artery in the man's wrist. A cut from something so dull would surely be painful, at least a blunted metallic kunai would've cut the skin cleanly. A wooden kunai shouldn't have done anything to the man, unless it was severely damaged and had fried edges but even then the man wouldn't have gotten anything more than a sliver.

"I..." Sakura hesitated, "I put chakra in it... and it broke." Hiruzen flinched, no wonder the intruder needed surgery. The girl accidentally sharpened a wooden toy to a lethal extent but didn't have the chakra control to keep its form so the wooden kunai exploded, which of course created even more damage to the exposed artery.

"What book did you read about the ninja-dash from?" Hiruzen asked, again he sensed that she was giving him a dull look as if she thought the answer was obvious.

"'Chakra Knowledge for Dummies'," Sakura answered dully. "Amongst others I found in the library." Crow cleared his throat, trying to stifle his laughter before it surfaced, Hiruzen found himself giving the young man an amused smirk.

"Can you tell me any other skills you've picked up from the library?" Hiruzen asked curiously

"Yes," Sakura answered truthfully but when she didn't elaborate, Hiruzen realized the verbal trap he walked into.

"Will you tell me about your skills?" Hiruzen questioned

"I...I can only do the basics," Sakura answered stiffly. "Wall walking is easy so long as it doesn't move. Pushing chakra to hands is super easy but the real challenge is injecting my chakra into something else. It's really hard because if I don't do it right I can hurt the recipient."

"Recipient?" Hiruzen raised an eyebrow at the girl, "are you trying to be a medic Sakura-Chan?" The little girl sighed heavily, as if resigning herself to a fate of twenty-questions.

"No I want to be the best ninja so I can stand at Naruto's side when he becomes Hokage." She huffed and looked at Hiruzen, her lips twisting once more into the pout he was starting to get used to seeing on her face. "Naruto-kun gets hurt a lot so I have to know how to heal if I want to see him reach his dream."

"Why do you want to Naruto-kun to reach his dream?" Hiruzen asked curiously. No one else believed the blonde would be able to reach his final goal, other than himself and a handful of anbu agents. "No one else believes he'll make it that far, no one else believes in Naruto-kun. Why do y-"

"Because the shadow man said he'd be Hokage!" She sounded so angry and frustrated that she hadn't realized just what she said. "I trust Naruto because he protected me! I trust him because he's always at my side! He doesn't leave me behind! He doesn't hurt me! He doesn't-"

"Who's the shadow man, Sakura-Chan?" Hiruzen interrupted, the girl fell silent, her face paling as realization and fear filling her being. With a gasp Sakura buried her face into Crow's chest, her tiny fists shaking as she gripped at his arm fearfully.

"Sakura," Crow murmured, his voice was cold and hard, making the trembling little girl freeze in his lap. "Who is the shadow man? Is he a threat? Will he hurt-"

"No!" Sakura's voice broke as she pushed away from Crow's chest to look earnestly in his eyes or at least into the eye-holes of his mask. "I swear Crow-San! The shadow man is trying to protect us! He wants to keep safe!"

"Safe from what?" Hiruzen asked stiffly, Sakura bows her head in shame.

"From the war that's coming," Sakura answered softly. She carefully turned towards Hiruzen, her head bowed and her hands in her lap. "Shadow man says that in ten years a new war will rage. If we don't do something in time, then the five great nations will shatter into ashes and dust." She lifts her face enough to look at Hiruzen through her wall of bubblegum pink locks.

"Why tell you this? Why didn't he come to me?" Hiruzen asked, his eyes narrowed in thought.

"...you... you wouldn't believe him." Sakura answered weakly. "You would treat him like a trick of the light or an illusion from an enemy." She hesitates again, "you... you wouldn't believe anything he has to say..."

"But why would he go to you, Sakura-Chan?" Crow asks, "why'd he chose you?"

"B-b-b-because," Sakura blushed and bowed her head in shame. "Be-because... I-I'm th-the key..." She looks weakly up at Hiruzen before turning to look at Crow. "Shadow man says that I'm the one who finds the sun and moon. He says that their strength is my strength. So if I'm not strong enough then neither are they and they HAVE to be strong. If they're not, then the war will end in embers and cries."

"But... How does he know? How does he know you're the key? How does he know about the war? How does he know about its end?" Hiruzen asked, there a thousand other questions rushing through his mind. None of the answers he could come up with painted a very pleasant picture and he wanted all of the information available before he made any decisions.

"Because," Sakura huffed at him, "he's not from our world."

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 **okay, I wrote out this whole chapter on my phone. so some words or names might've been auto corrected into something else.**

 **PLEASE tell me about the mistakes I might've made. I tried really hard to make sure all the names were correct.**

 **anyways. thank you all for reading!**


	2. chapter 2

**Shadow Man**

 **Koomahana**

Chapter 2: nightmares are reminders

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He could feel the warmth of the sun on his skin, smell the gentle breeze of spring wind, hear the laughter of the other children around him. He was in the Fireoak Park, it was in and used by shinobi clans, the rotating guards were all of Uchiha and Hyuga families. He had been introduced to a few other heirs; Hinata Hyuga and her guard Kanai (Who was once Inari's teammate), Shikamaru Nara, Choji Akimichi, Ino Yamanaka, Shino Aburame, Hana Inuzuka and her brother Kiba along with a few others but they weren't very interesting. Shikamaru was content to fall asleep next to Choji. Kiba and his sister wandered off with their pups. Shino went bug exploring, Ino followed him to find rare flowers and Hinata remained behind, clueless and awkward. Knowing his cousin Inari well, he turned towards Hinata and asked if she knew how to play in the sand box. He tried very hard to ignore the glare he was receiving from Hinata's guard, but at least Hinata was willing to try something new. He was in the middle of teaching her how to compact the sand in their bucket, when he heard the startled shout of his cousin. He first looked up at Inari only to see the man's sharingan eyes wide in panic, even Hinata's guard was at his side, skirts raised in one hand and rushing forward in a blind panic. He felt the wind shift at his back and he turned with Hinata to look in the opposite direction. Before them stood a girl dressed in a simple sapphire summer dress, her long cheery locks surrounded her in beautiful brush strokes. The sun shunned down on her, making her hair glow like firelight and giving her this appearance of a guardian angel. All too soon that image of fierce defiance was shattered into crystalline tears as the girl fainted, her long pink locks following her descent into the earth like a comet tail

"Grab her!" A boy with sunshine yellow hair burst forward, tears brimming his eyes as he reached out and grabbed Hinata; forcing her to her feet. "Grab Sakura-Chan!" Sasuke stuttered into motion, his limbs jerking about without coordination. He stumbled to his feet and hurried forward, he stooped, ready to grab the girl but a shadow fell on them.

"Sasuke-sama!" He looked up, seeing only the bloody limb of the stranger reaching put to him... then his cousin was there with a curse and blazing eyes. "Cataclism!" Sasuke spurred into motion, his body reflexively moving to the emergency code. Sasuke snatched up the girl, one arm over his shoulders and tried to jump backwards but her added unconscious weight unbalanced him and they both went tumbling backwards. Sasuke jerked on the girl's arms, forcing her to land atop him while he took the full burnt of landing on rocks. In a flurry of white and gray, Hinata's guard was standing over them, blocking kunai and shuriken alike before diving forward to join the fight.

"Hurry up!" The blond boy bellowed, his arms tightening around a frightened Hinata. "Carry Sakura-Chan over here!" Sasuke coughed and struggled to sit up, bracing the girl's head against his shoulder he looked down at the girl's face. To his horror he found it bathed in blood, coating her pale complexion and staining her pretty blue dress. She looked like his mother's Iki-Ningyo doll, so much so that the blood staining her seemed to be the only thing human about her.

"Sasuke!" He looked up to see his cousin and brother rushing towards them with blinding speed. His relief was so strong that Sasuke couldn't stop the tears from spilling out of his eyes.

"Nii-tan!" Sasuke cried, his arms tightening around the girl in his lap. "She's hurt! Save her Nii-an!" The two friends disappeared and reappeared before Sasuke, Shisui wasted no time in snatching up the human doll before disappearing again. Itachi immediately wrapped his arms around his baby brother and hurried towards Hinata and the boy holding onto her tightly.

"You two! Stay close!" Itachi didn't waste time with formalities as he quickly ushered the two children towards the growing group of adults trying to take head count and be sane at the same time. From his place on his brother's chest Sasuke could see the intruder lunch at him a third time, bloody fingers reaching out at him like the bony fingers of death's cold clutch.

...

"NO!" he sat up with a scream, his eyes pulsed, his head pounded, his body shook and sweat coated him in thick rivets that changed the color of his sheets. Two soft thumps was all he heard before his brother was slamming open the door, his crimson eyes scanning the room quickly for any threats before settling on Sasuke. Seeing his baby brother wrap one hand around his eyes, Itachi sighed and deactivated his sharingan gaze.

"Another nightmare ototo?" Itachi asked as he stepped in silently and approached Sasuke's bed calmly.

"...nii-san," Sasuke's voice was hoarse and dry, stained and sounding to be on the verge of panic even to his own ears. "Are you sure she wasn't hurt?"

"The girl fainted from chakra exhaustion, Sasuke." Itachi reassured as he sat on the edge of the bed and gently pulled his baby brother's head against his shoulder, letting him cry silently against him. "Okaa-San and Otou-San have both gone to see her and have returned saying that she is in complete recovery. The girl lives and without a mark to tell the tail." He smiled as Sasuke's body shook in memory and fear,the nightmare still ruling over him for a moment longer. "Its thanks to you that she lived at all," Itachi continued thoughtfully. "If you hadn't pulled her back then that man most certainly would have killed her. She should thank you for saving her life."

"But I didn't," Sasuke whimpered, curling against his brother's side as a sob racked through his body. "She... she saved ME, nii-san and I couldn't even do anything for her. I just sat there like an idiot, staring at her like a helpless toddler."

"Sasuke, you were five," Itachi murmured, his arm tightening fractionally around his brother's head. "Compared to the other clan kids there, you reacted appropriately and remarkably well."

"But all I did was stare," Sasuke reminded him. "I couldn't do anything."

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Remember: I am writing everything down on my cell phone. If there is a misspelling I need to know so I can fix it.

My phone's autocorrect really hates me, so any added bit of help is greatly appreciated.

hokage is homage

but is bit

ino is umo

hana is juan

kiba is kin

itachi is 'It him', 'itch' and 'ita cam' (don't ask why)

sasuke is soup and sauce

and naruto is nintendo for some reason...


	3. Chapter 3

**Shadow Man**

 **Koomahana**

chapter 3: apprentice at nine years old

 **Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine**

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The Uchiha siblings held onto each other for a while, moving only when the sun filled the room and their mother's voice rose from the kitchen. Whipping at his face hurriedly, Sasuke let his brother leave while he hurried to the bathroom. Surly hot water and a rag will take the red out of his eyes, maybe then his parents won't ask him any more questions. It had been four years since the attack and he hasn't had a single moment to speak to the girl, if anything his family restricted his presence to the compound. Thankfully he could still attend the shinobi academy but he was always escorted there and back, never giving him a chance to wander away in search of the pink haired girl. Sasuke didn't even know the girl's name and that made attempting to find her even more difficult. The difficulty only escalated when he entered the same class as the other clan heirs and discovered the yellowed haired boy from the attack. However, much to Sasuke's frustration the other boy didn't recognize him. Hinata was the only person from the attack that tried to keep in contact with him, she even brought him some information when she could spare the time. However it wasn't much and the time between updates could be days or months. At least she tried, that's more than he could say about the others who were there. Ino seemed to have forgotten what happened four years before, she continued making flower baskets, fawning over him, nagging Shikamaru and ignoring their teachers. Shikamaru remained sleeping in every class, Choji kept his chips in hand at whatever cost, Shino seemed to not care and Kiba remained silent with his pup. No one else seemed to care about that pink haired girl who could have died trying to save them.

"Sasuke-kun!" His mother's voice jolted Sasuke out of his thoughts, making his hand smash against the counter edge. "If you don't come down soon you won't have time to eat before you head to the academy!" Sighing Sasuke dried his face and left to his room, in less than five minutes he was properly dressed in his academy uniform with his school bag over his shoulder. After the attack the village demanded a school uniform as well as a new training regiment. Now the academy hours lasted from seven in the morning to six in the evening; they were given breakfast, lunch and depending on one's schedule they could even get schedules for dinners. Glancing at the clock Sasuke sighed and headed out of his room, his mom met him at the stairs a large wrapped lunch box in hand and a rueful smile on her face.

"How'd I know you'd wait to the last minute?" Mikoto questioned with a smile. "Don't forget to eat," she said as he landed and grabbed the box, "and for the love of the sanin, don't fight with Naruto again!" The door slamming was Sasuke's answer, he didn't greet his usual guard waiting for him at the gate just outside his house and just ran past the man. The run from his house to the academy was silent like usual, his guard Inari remained sullen and quiet after the attack four years ago. Four years ago it was Inari and his old teammate Kanai Hyuga who protected them from their attacker, Kanai protected Inari from a lightning attack that stopped her heart. She wasn't savable after that and Inari became mute, it was this agony that awoke Inari's Mangekyou and made him mute as his own screams shattered his voice box. Fugaku had been unable to punish Inari any further, the man lost his best friend and awoke the second stage of their bloodline; it was deemed that nothing could possibly put Inari in anymore heartache then he was already in.

It took them only five minutes to reach the academy gates, slowing into a walk, Sasuke quickly bumped fists with Inari before heading into the building. It was a habit now more than anything, a silent reminder of the old games when Inari used to be as cheerful as Shisui was. The usual sight of Hinata was there and waiting, head bowed and file in hand; a habit she performs when passing important information along. Sasuke walked past her as if he didn't see her but wasn't surprised when he heard her soft footsteps follow him up the stairs.

"Sasuke-San," Hinata's voice was whisper soft as they walked. "New information." She waited a heartbeat, allowing them both to step onto the landing and turning the corner that lead to their classroom. "A war for the syzygy is brewing."

"What's a syzygy?" Sasuke asked lowly, stopping outside the classroom door. He swore he's heard that before but... where?

"I don't know." She slipped the folder between his arm and side, disappearing before he could even glance at it. Taking in a slow breath, Sasuke opened the door and entered his classroom; it didn't surprise him in the least to see Hinata sitting quietly in the back of the room. Ignoring everyone else, Sasuke walked over to the right front desk and took his usual seat beside the open window. Placing his bag on the floor, he was able to discreetly hide the envelop in his bag for later. He never knew how Hinata got her information but she was never wrong and her information was always accurate.

This is gonna be a long day, Sasuke thought, plopping his face into one hand and stared out the window. His teacher walked in, took roll call, gave a shinobi rule that they would be learning about and continued with the lesson. Unlike his classmates, Sasuke's entire focus was on the slowly dying tree outside his window, he wondered if anyone else had noticed the change as well. He noticed that the only green trees on the academy grounds was the old cherry blossom tree by the front gate. It made him wonder if any other trees were as dying as this one was, did anyone else notice the dying trees or was he over analyzing things?

"Sasuke Uchiha," he turned at the sound of his name, staring dully at his teacher. "You'll be paired with Naruto Uzumaki, do you understand?" There was a split second were Sasuke was completely confused but his pride kept him from questioning his teacher's sanity out loud. Thankfully his newly named partner lacked certain brain cells needed for shinobi life.

"WHAT?!" Naruto yelled loudly, jumping to his feeting and pointing at Sasuke accusingly. "Why do I have to be paired up with king Ice-cube?!" Sasuke sighed in irritation, plopping his face back into his hand and turning his attention back onto his teacher.

"Naruto-kun," the man called with a look of annoyance on his face. "Did you pay attention to what I was saying?" Naruto blushed and stuttered in answer, their teacher sighed as if he was at his wits end. "Your class year is being assigned to apprenticeships until graduation, so for the next three years you two will be working together. Up until graduation you two MIGHT still be teammates but it's more common for us to split up the graduates and place them in a bracket that'll be more beneficial to the village."

"So when we graduate we can either be placed in a genin cell or become a village bound ninja." Sasuke murmured. By 'village bound' he meant a ninja restricted to the hospital, village gates, village rounds, various clerk positions or the labyrinth library.

In other words; village bound ninja never leave the walls of the village.

"That is correct Uchiha-San," the teacher smiled at him. "Thank you for dumbing it down for Naruto-kun." Naruto glared at their teacher, a deep growl sounding in the back if his throat. Sasuke sighed and returned his gaze back outside, as he predicted a 'verbal debate' ensued between their teacher and Naruto. It wasn't long before something was said, one girl got offend, things got thrown and next thing Sasuke knows he has a lump on his head and holding Naruto by the front of his jacket.

"Sasuke-kun!" He didn't have the faintest clue as to why the girls screamed his name like that but he knew he was going to beat Naruto black and blue.

"Uchiha-San it's a little crowded in here," their teacher said in a tone of voice implying his boredom. "If you insist on bickering take it outside." Before Sasuke could move to throw Naruto out the window and proceed with his customary beat down down of the blonde, a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Sasuke-San," Hinata's voice was whisper soft in his ear, "now is not the time or place for a bickering. Please wait till after school." Sasuke wanted to refute, wanted to remind her that she never interfered before, wanted to tell her that it was another boating lesson. Except it wasn't a boring lesson. It was a lesson on their future, a reminder of their life long choice, it was a chance to learn something something new for once.

"This isn't over," Sasuke promised, pushing Naruto away and returning to his seat. Once again he wasn't surprised to see Hinata had returned to her seat, appearing as if she hadn't moved from her seat in a year. Sasuke settled in his seat and returned his attention back to the tree outside his window. The sound of grumbling and a heavy body flopping down had him glancing at the person who chose to sit with him. He was silently answered by the annoyed blonde now known as his idiotic teammate. Rolling his eyes at Naruto's attempted expression of 'holier than thou', Sasuke turned out the droning of their classroom teacher and stared once more to the tree.

He couldn't wait to be made genin, then he wouldn't have to be paired with _him_ anymore

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 **Please review and tell me your thoughts! I think I did a better job of catching the mistakes this time!**

 **Again, all help is greatly appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Shadow Man**

 **Koomahana**

Chapter 4: Armageddon comes in all forms

 **Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine**

 **Plus all is written on my cell phone, so please inform me of any mistakes! :)**

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She panted heavily, one knee and hand braced on the ground, her other hand gripped the katana with bruised white knuckles. She was sore, her body ached with a pain slowly numbing her mind, her mind slowly blurred in the growing darkness of the training room. She hated these people, these shadows, these mindless machines designed to battle and die by her hand. She hated the one-eyed old man the most. She didn't know why he took her away, why he designed these 'games' for her to participate in but she knew he tricked her younger self. Four years ago she met the one-eyed man, she became interested in the strange but simple games he liked to play. She wanted to play too, finding his riddles and games interesting; all too soon she was trapped in his web of lies and games that slowly revealed themselves as training regiments for assassins. She discovered his lies during a game once, she had been participating in a fun game of tag-and-dodge, accompanied by three other children her age. She didn't understand the severity of the situation until one of the boys pushed her out of the way of a trap, allowing the large blade to cleave him half and douse her with his blood. That had been the first time she realized just how dangerous the one-eyed man was. All too soon she noticed the patterns, heard the whispers, felt the inconsistency of every riddle and game presented to her. They'd spend a few days dedicating her to a specific art and then at the end of the week she'd be tested with the other kids.

Who ever failed died

Once she realized what was happening she tried to talk to the old man, tried to tell him that there were other ways, better ways, to teach them that didn't involve their deaths. Her efforts were rewarded with seven broken bones and the merciless restraint of her elders as her group of classmates were sentenced to go through an obstacle course too advanced for their smaller bodies.

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 _"Now any of you who make it to the end will be Mei's personal guard, understand?" she struggled in her elder's arms, tears rolling down her cheeks as she tried to scream through the gag in her mouth. For some reason the other children in her class followed her words like they were law and right now the one-eyed man was using that blind faith against her. Out of the twenty kids who hurried through, only two made it to the end. One had been severely wounded, hanging on by a thread. She could have saved him, she knew it._

 _"Ch, you're too weak," the boy coughed hoarsely, blood splattering his lips as he fell to his knees and braced his hands into the loose soil of the forest. the one-eyed man glanced back at her, she thrashed in the restraining hold, trying to break free so she could heal the boy. Her own wounds were already numbing, her chakra habitually working to numb and heal. "Boy! end him." Her tears and stiffed scream were ignored as the other boy gave his comrade a quick painless death; the only mercy he could provide to either of them. She slumped in her elder's hold, her head bowed as sobs wracked her body. "But..." that single simple word felt like a blade to her neck, a cold frigid feeling of dread filled her. "According to your ethics... a shinobi who kills his comrades is a nuke-nin," he looked down on her, seemingly thoughtfully and taking great consideration of her earlier words but she knew there was no consideration for her words: he was mocking her._

 _"Aren't nuke-nin... to be exterminated?" She screamed shrilly as one of the older ninja relieved that surviving boy of his head; nothing in the world would ever erase that boy's last moments. She would remember that heart broken smile until the day she died._

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"Mei-sama!" She swung without thought, sparks clashed in dark, a lighting two shapeless porcelain masks. "You're forgetting your purpose! Focus!" She struck out with her free hand, the smell of copper and salt her only warning, and then too fast for her to register she was battling the darkness like a whip. She weaved and danced between their numbers, glowing palm and glinting blade her only warning before her opponents laid helplessly on the ground. A siren sounded, a flash of blinding light pushed her back, and then the feeling of thick sturdy chains wrapped around her, restraining her at the tip of their master's merciless blade. Through her shapeless porcelain mask she glared into his narrowed coal eye. Nothing he did would ever erase the fire in her eyes and he's killed plenty of her classmates in the attempt to stifle that ever present flame. Her face could be as dead and blank as a mask of new snow but her eyes always shown with the fury of hell's emerald flames.

"Do not forget your purpose Mei," his voice was cold and low, a silent promise of the punishment to come. "It could save the other's you hold so close to heart." Her breathing slowed gradually, her body stiffening in the tight hold of the chains, her eyes glowing in unabashed hatred behind her shapeless mask. "Do not forget your purpose, Mei-"

"That is not my name," she snarled the words out without thought. Her mask was removed and his fist was crushing her cheek, there was so much force behind his sudden attack that she was impacting the stone ground before reacting to the reveal of her identity. Her sight swam, her hearing rang, the cool stone beneath numbed even her soul... or at least, what little was left of her soul. Through her dimming, blurring sight she could see the one restraining her with the chains. The only other girl in the organization, a red haired stranger with the power of chains, whimpered on the ground; her arms full of a bleeding little boy. She watched as their master walked past her and approached the sobbing little girl.

 _Don't touch them_ , she thought, her eyes closing slowly. _They... they didn't do anything..._

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"Hello kiddies!" The lady had a big smile on her face and a blush on her cheeks, her uniform simple and implying her boring desk job responsibilities.

"RUN BASTARD RUN!" Naruto ran away with a pale horrified face, not even bothering to explain as he ran away for everything he was worth. Sasuke watched the retreating dust cloud of his teammate before turning towards the jonin they were supposed to be apprenticing under.

"My name is Chouko Ishikawa!" The woman said cheerfully, going so far as patting Sasuke's head. Ignoring his irritated look, Chouko's midnight violet eyes drifted in the direction ran away. "Now you stay here cutie-pie," Sasuke stiffened as he felt a subtitle shift in the woman's smile, his sixth sense told to him to run and don't look back. "I have to go catch a twit." She was gone before he could blink, leaving him alone at the entrance of the academy grounds with a black bracelet I hand. Not knowing what to do with the sudden appearance of the mysterious object, Sasuke stuffed it in his pants and walked towards Inari. The jonin in had a 'i pity your misfortune' kind of smile but when Sasuke gave him a questioning look, the man simply shook his head and began the wall back to their compound.

Whatever, Sasuke thought, sighing as he followed his elder's lead. Halfway home they came across a dango stand operated by a cheerful Akimichi, inside they found Itachi and Shisui enjoying a large platter of tango and a pot of steaming tea.

"Nii-San," Sasuke called out without thinking. His brother greeted with a smile around his favorite pink can go and a tip of his head. Shisui waved excitedly at Inari, his mouth still full of his ginger and jasmine tea. "Whose Chouko Ishikawa?" In Sasuke's mind it was a simple question with a simple explanation. The response was the equivalent of the announcement of Armageddon. Shisui began choking only to collapse on the ground laughing hysterically. Itachi however, turned into a statue. His teacup slipped from his fingers to spill across his stack of uneaten dango, his half finished stick of dango slipped from his mouth to tumble down his chest and pants to land on the ground. Even his normally pale face became a unusual shade ghostly-white and his were a little wider than usual.

To Sasuke it was like announcing Armageddon

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 **Alright! XD I finished spell checking and everything! XD XD**

 **if I accidentally switched two similar sounding words around (like pale and pail) please let me know! :)**

 **I hope you all liked this chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Shadow Man**

 **Koomahana**

Chapter 5: illusion and hope

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He hurried through the dark hall, arms full of a wrapped package that matched the one on his back. They were heavy, slowing his speed down drastically, but someday he might be called on to bring his comrades home and that might require him to carry them. So he wasn't bothered by the strange weight he was forced to carry, the knowledge that it might someday be his mistress was both terrifying and exhilarating. True to his sensing training, he found his mistress in the middle of another beat down in the medical wing. She was their best medic but when it came to treating herself she trusted no one. If another medic even hinted at approaching her for anything more than the signing of paperwork she was tensing up for a fight. It was strange, his mistress didn't mind healing others but she hated it when someone else had to heal her, as if she never wanted to be so weak as to be at the mercy of another medic.

"Ahhh!" The sudden scream was his only warning. He stopped short, his dark eyes widening as a pale blurt flew by so fast its wide bell sleeve stung his nose. He waited a heartbeat, double checking his surroundings for anymore flying bodies before daring to turn the corner and observe his mistress. As he predicted, she was standing tall and defiant in the center of a whimpering mess of medics, blood rolled down her palms and stained her body like a haunting cloak. She turned towards him, the touch from the room before her cast haunting shadows across her barely hidden face, her emerald-hell-flame eyes burned so brilliantly that they threatened to scorch his very body.

"Mistress," he kneeled barely in time to avoid the back hand that would have undoubtedly knocked him unconscious. He knew best not to call her by the name their master gave her, nothing would stop her fury then but the chains of their new recruit.

"You," his mistress's voice was low and cold, as if daring him to speak the name she loathed. He remained kneeling before her, head bowed and face hidden in the warmth of the bundle he clutched with both arms. She faced him evenly, lowering her fist and glared down on him through her thick tained hair. He took a deep breath in, nearly gagging on the stench of acid and toxic chemicals, and instantly glanced around for the source of the disgusting scent. To his right was a young gray haired elder boy, dressed in the uniform of a higher ranked medic. The older boy was too busy coughing up blood to worry about the new combers curious once over. The sight of inky black liquid staining the older boy's palms and spilling forth from a small bottle had the observer understanding perfectly. Once more the medics had been tasked with knocking out their mistress in order to retreat her hair with their special liquid.

"Speak," his mistress snarled the word like a curse, primping him to flinch and return his gaze to her feet. Steadying his nerves with another deep breath, he tried his best not waver under the weight of her gaze.

"Mistress," he hesitated a moment, wondering if he should speak the name she still has no knowledge of. "Hi..Hisuiru," he flinched back, waiting to be struck but when it didn't come he tentatively looked up at her, not quite believing his luck. Carefully he tried again. "Hi-Hisui...Hisuiru...sama," he shifted, his cheeks feeling warm as she continued to stare down on him but there was a new expression in her eyes. The widening suggested surprise, their brilliant sure light denoting a memory and her silence told him to continue.

"My... My younger brother came here with you." He started slowly, hesitantly, unsure if he should continue. But he did, he continued for the memory of his smiling baby brother, the one who smiled even as he was killed for her sake. "He... He gave you the name 'Hisuiru'," he looked back up to her glowing eyes, rimmed with unused tears and filled with heartache. "In honor of your strength... And true na-"

"Silence!" Her voice shook and trembled but it was a clear order. He bowed his head and slowly moved his hands beneath the wrapped package and carefully presented it to her; he could only hope she wouldn't shatter it as she had shattered the people around her. But she didn't take it, she stepped away slowly before turning and running away, he waited until she neared his chakra-sensing range before giving chase. By adding a slight increase of a chakra-boost, he was able to keep up with her as she dived and weaved through the winding maze like tunnels of their training facility. It wasn't long till he detected her unlocking the security brackets for her room, he arrived just as the heavily padded door began to open. She glanced back at him in sheer panic before pushing the door open further, trying to struggle through the gap. He ground his teeth, tightened his hold on the packages and flooded his legs with chakra. In two bounds he closed the vast distance between them and dived between the gap of the large door, he felt his pant leg tear as the door closed. For a moment he thought he lost his leg to the bahimith door but he quickly recovered when he could feel the cold stone of the room chill his skin and send freezing shivers rolling throughout his body.

"You?" He looked up from where he braced himself on the cold stone floor. His mistress was leaning against the door, panting out of breath and looking panicked, as if she didn't know what to do. "How... Why..." She gave up and slid down to the floor, her fingers raking through her hair and pulling it away from her face. Without her mask to keep her sight clear he could finally see why she hid her face with her hair. Over her right eye and spanning half way down her cheek was a dark knotwork of diamonds and lines, like a seal designed to keep her in line. It reminded him of the bird-cage seal the Hyuga use on their branch members, it made him wonder if their master used it to keep her obeying his orders.

"I'm sorry mistress," he adjusted his body to kneel before her, arms still wrapped around his package. "I hadn't meant to hurt you... I only wanted to honor my brother's wish."

"And what was that?" She asked hoarsely, "to give me nightmares and headaches?"

"No mistress," he said it quickly, hoping to remove all doubt from her mind. "Your classmates wanted to give you something special for your birthday. I found the blueprints in my brother's room. In order to achieve his wish, all of theirs wishes, I had to take on many high paying jobs. Unfortunately those jobs took me out of the village and for the past four years I was not here for you as I should have been." He paused and looked up at her through his bangs, hoping once more to reassure her of his allegiance.

"I am sorry mistress, for not being here when you needed me."

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Sasuke panted heavily, leaning against the trunk of a tree in training grounds five. After a month and a half he finally understood why his brother had looked so traumatized and why Shisui laughed so hard he couldn't breath for five minutes. Chouko Ishikawa was a master trap expert; the kind that weaved illusions, planted explosives, used various poisons and still laughed when someone accidentally died. Apparently she weaved illusions into her traps to apprehend Itachi, who reportedly never took her seriously so he was caught fairly often. She even used explosives, poisons and storage seals to apprehend Shisui; apparently she's yet to catch him.

Right now Sasuke was keeping his eyes peeled for any shiny strings or strange looking bushes, he's learned that she likes to hide small storage seals on leaves and use shinobi wire to trip openers into unlocking the seals. If substation isn't used quick enough, the person in question becomes a pincushion for whatever poison tipped weapon that's laying in wait. Catching sight of something bright in the distance, Sasuke let his curiosity get the better of him and wondered over to see what trap was awaiting him this time. He never noticed the paper wrinkling under foot or the slow shift in the breeze, he only wondered what that strange light was. Wandering further through the trees, Sasuke steadily approached the edge of the forest only to find a semi-large field of flowers. Sitting near the center of the field was a curled up ball of strawberry pink and palest sapphire blue. Feeling his heart begins to beat in his chest, Sasuke approached the small figure. As he neared he could make out soft humming and the sound of weaving grass, stopping just behind what he could clearly see to be a child of five years. Sasuke stared with open mouthed shock at the tiny familiar figure of a little girl, he could see her weaving several flower stems together in her hands; it was safe to assume that she was trying to make a flower crown.

"Hello," her voice was soft and welcoming, her head rose and her hands lowered. He didn't say anything, to afraid that the vision would unfold into a nightmare he couldn't break. "Do you need something?" She tilted her head to the side, as if someone was standing in front of her and not behind her. When Sasuke didn't answer she huffed in irritation, her shoulders rising and falling as she turned to look back at him with a pout on her face. For a moment he was terrified to find her covered in blood, too see her close her eyes and crumble like ashes, to watch helplessly as she protected him once again in vain.

But his fears were unfounded. She wasn't hurt, she wasn't bleeding, she wasn't falling or crumbling, she didn't try to protect him from a threat he didn't notice. She was just a normal little girl sitting in a field of flowers trying to make a flower crown. He could see her face clearly, pale and smooth, and the sight of her open eyes as compared to the closed ones in his memory was a startling revelation. Even the sight of her pristine dress set a comforting weight over his shoulders, easing out the stiffness and relaxing his muscles unconsciously. He approached slowly, walking around her to kneel in the grass beside her; he observed her as she observed him. She was dressed in a pale sapphire dress, edged in white with little pink flowers dancing around the tight neckline and down the three buttons holding it closed. Around the edges of her sleeves and skirt were matching embroidered white flowers and pretty green leaves with little white branches floating on little shiny strings of silver, indicating a gleaming river. The dress was very pretty for the little girl, styled as a qipao with wide bell sleeves ending at her wrists and a wide flowing skirt ending just shy of her ankles. Beneath her wide slaves he could see tighter white sleeves with sapphire cuffs be holding embroidered flowers and leaves. To his keen sight he could make out small mistakes, like several flowers had misshapen or over sized petals and the sleeves and neck looked as if someone missed a stitch or sewed it to tight in different places; they were all signs of the dress being hand made. Too him it was still beautiful, because it emphasized her brilliant sapphire pink locks and laughing jade eyes.

"My name's Sakura," the girl said with a sweet smile, she reached up and pulled a lock of her hair out of her eyes. "What's yours?"

"Sasuke," he answered, his voice was almost soft for her to hear, but to him it sounded broken and afraid.

"Okay," she smiled at him and lifted her hands to show him the tangled net of flower stems and grass. "Do you know how to make a flower crown? I can't seem to make it right..." He slowly shook his head, not trusting his voice to sound as he thought it should in her presence. "Oh okay... Ah! Hey! We can practice together!" Her smile was so big and bright he couldn't tell her no and he didn't have the heart to disrupt the genjutsu he knew he was caught in.

For now, he wanted to spend time with the little girl who saved him... Even if she was just an illusion

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 **Hope you all liked it!**

 **Please tell me your thoughts and please don't forget to tell me about an Autocorrect mistake!**

 **I won't be able to edit this chapter on a computer for a few days so any help is greatly appreciated**


	6. Chapter 6

**Shadow Man**

 **Koomahana**

Chapter 6: expensive candy

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Approaching the knocked out form of his baby brother, Itachi crouched and patted the sleeping boy's head. After an hour of being unconsious, Itachi knew full well that Sasuke was aware of the genjutsu but it must have been a blissful one to make him reluctant to break it. Not far away, Shisui was approaching with Naruto slung over his shoulder and a sad smile on his face.

"Safe to say they both remember, huh?" Shisui questioned as he stooped and gently eased Naruto to lean against the same tree as Sasuke.

"What are you two so whinny for?" They both turned to look at Chouko, smiling at her childish pout and excessive need to sit with crossed legs. "They aren't being traumatized. Its a bliss-genjutsu After all, its designed to grant the hearts desire."

"So if someone wants to meet someone who no longer exists?" Itachi asked softly, his brows pulling together to form a frown.

"Then it'll create that person's impression or expectations of the deceased." Chouko answered, her bouncing knee stilled and her face twisted into confusuion. "Who is he dreaming about?"

"Undoubtedly... Its her," Itachi turned back towards his baby brother, sad smile in place

"Ah man, he spent thirty-seconds with her before she disappeared." Shisui chuckled, his eyes dancing in laughter but his smile seemed sad and regretful. "Think he fell for her?"

"Ah," Itachi answered neutrally

"That's not an answer!" Chouko snapped at him, suddenly irritated with the two Uchihas. "Since I won the best you both pay for my treat!" Both Uchihas turned to look at her in bewilderment. With a frustrated groan and an irritated glare, Chouko snarled out her reminder. "You said I couldn't trap Sasuke with an illusion! Since I did you owe me Kompeito candies!"

"Say what?!" Shisui hollered, "you want us to go broke?!"

"An ounce of that is several hundred yen," Itachi reminded Chouko, who could only grin devilishly at him.

"The tasteless cheep stuff is a hundred and twenty yen per ounce," Chouko correctly.

"Cheep?! What evil plan are you concocting?!" Shisui asked loudly, looking pale and frightened. Itachi however was apparently already shifting through his memories and was quickly drawing to a horrified realization.

"I want the Kompeito of the Akimichi clan." Chouko said with a grin that spelt disaster for the boys.

"An ounce of that is five thousand, seven hundred and fifty yen!" Shisui shouted, tears streaming from his eyes as he stared in utter horror at Chouko. "No! No way! Pick something else! Something we can afford!"

"So sorry, but do you want me to tell everyone what you both did two years ago to get into Iwa?" Chouko asked, her eyes glinting in promised betrail. The boy's horrified expressions was answer enough, they knew she'd black mail them eventually but over candy was not something they'd imagined.

"We never agreed to this!" Shisui whinned loudly

"We owe you nothing Ishikawa-San," Itachi said, making the girl still in her leg-bouncing criss-crossed seat. "Sasuke is remaining in your illusion by sheer choice. There for you did not catch him and we owe you no-"

"In order for him to be in the illusion, I would have to catch him," Chouko glared at Itachi menacingly. "Your not backing out of this, your lordship." Itachi remained very still as he stared at Chouko, as per his previous observations her eyes once more changed color. He was starting to associate her midnight blue eyes with determination and the stripes of sapphire blue with cool-headed calculation. He knew from experience that she only ever called him 'lordship' when she was seriously considering getting into a fight with him. The last time they had an serious fight the Hokage forbid them having a 'spare' within the walls of the village. The consequences of disobedience would be imeadent deranking, house arrest and no missions for two months to a year; depending on the damage.

"Face it Itachi, we're screwed." Shisui sighed, "I'll start counting my coins. You'd best do the same." With that Shisui disappeared, leaving Itachi to glare back into Chouko's darkening gaze.

"...Conditions?" Itachi asked, there were always conditions to a fight with Chouko and she always made sure that it was in her favor.

"No chakra," Chouko answered as she rose to her feet gracefully. "That means an imeadet loss if you activate your Sharingan." Outwardly Itachi had no problem with the demand, internally he was cursing up a storm. Chouko knew that if he used so much as a percentage of chakra, his dojoutsu would aoutomtattically activate.

"If I win I don't have to buy your candy." Itachi clearafied just so she couldn't squirm her way out of it like she did last time.

"Tch, fine!"

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 **Please remember that this is written on my Cell phone so any tips on grammatical or autocorrect mistakes would be the greatest thing ever!**

 **I hope you liked it! XD**

 **Please rate and review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Shadow Man**

 **Koomahana**

Chapter 7: Storms make trees grow deeper roots

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The day was bright and warm, the birds chirped and the squirrels squealed, even elusive kittens and pups came out to play. It was with these sights and sounds that she knew without a doubt that she was safe. When animals roamed nearby, fearless of even her, then she can truly be free to be she who has no name. No... that wasn't right. She had a name, several actually, she just didn't like them. They weren't right, they... they weren't _her_. Hisuiru, Jade blossom, an affectionate name from an affectionate little boy... a little boy she failed to protect. Mei, child of earth; it's a cursed, hated, spiteful name from a grizzly old man who lived too long in the dark. Mistress was less of a name and more of a title but those who used it rarely received her wrath as punishment.

Hisuiru, Mei, mistress; those are the names she goes by but they aren't _her's_. She knows those aren't her true names, she knows she'll never remember her birth name; the tricky-old man made sure to seal those memories. She knew those affection-accursed names weren't hers in the same manner that she knew the sky was blue and grass was green. When she thought about what her _true name_ was, what her parents must've called her, all she can ever think of were flowers. Bright blooming flowers signature of spring, a sea of flowers, a never ending abyss of flowers... that was the vision that surrounded her when she thought what her true name was.

"Mistress," she sighed in disappointment, she knew there had been a curious little mouse wondering ever closer to her but that accursed brat of a boy desired to ruin the peace she was enjoying. "It is time to go, the mission will be starting soon..."

"How long are you going to follow me around?" She asked as she pushed herself up, her long dark hair rolled over her face like a silk blanket. Oh, how she hates the a cursed color black; it's no more her true hair color anymore then Mei was her true name. She tries so hard to out think those damn medics and their smelly black chemical that they use to permanently dye her hair for the year; but of course the damn show-off charmeleon decided to pay her table a visit when she wasn't looking.

That damn charmeleon, the next time she sees that disgraceful gray haired, medic-drop-out she's slitting his throat!

"Hisuiru-sama," the boy called again, she glared up at him, regarding his offered hand like one would regard a particularly large spider. "If we linger much longer, master will summon you." The muscles under her right eye twitched, a phantom memory of acid and fire threatened to devour her face. She hates the seal that's painted across her cheek. The bastard old man can find her, summon her, torture her, erase her all within a whimsical second. On her upper left arm was yet another painful reminder of her situation, it's another spiteful but useful trick of the old man. The seal painted on her left arm allowed her to teleport to his side regardless of the distance between them. She only ever used it when she knew she was pressing her luck with his patentice. Sighing in aggravation she pushed herself onto her feet with one hand, she took in a breath of the meadow's clean air before using the cursed seal resting on her left upper arm. The boy gently clasped her hand and together they disappeared in the morning sun. The next place they appeared was cold, dark, silent and stinking of sweat, death and decay. They both remained silent as the feeling of boulders settled on their shoulders, the boy retracted his hand to form a fist over his heart; together they kneeled before their master.

"There you are Mei, I was wondering if I was going to have to summon you here." Beneath her mask of black hair, her right cheek twitch in aggravation. He knew his summoning of her caused her near unbearable levels of pain. The first few times she was screaming mad in agony and had to be restrained in order for the medics to tend to her. She and her constant companion didn't budge from their location, knowing best that a twitch could earn a lashing.

"Join your classmates below you two," their master said coldly. "Your mission will begin soon. I expect perfection from the both of you." They said nothing as they disappeared from his side and reappeared standing at the front of the next group of agents in training. The boy quickly kneeled again, showing respect from his place a hold step behind his mistress but the black haired girl chose to remain standing. Her eyes were closed behind her veil of inky hair, her hands limp at her sides and her back straight to indicate her riveted attention on her master. There were several glances from both her classmates and the previous graduates, several of her elders reached for their blades, expecting the order for her death but their master did nothing but smirk.

"As I expected from the child of earth," the man drawled lowly. "Careful Ubume, to not get crushed by the bolder of which you carry." A fairytale creature, Ubume was the wandering soul of a woman mourning the death of her child. She wandered streets and paths crying out in hysteria for someone to take her child. When someone finally did, they would wander aimlessly with the child. At least, they wandered as far as it took for them to realize that the growing weight in their arms was actually a bolder and not a baby.

She was only called 'Ubume' when she was pushing her luck with his patience, it was his way of saying 'shut up and obey'.

"The bolder I carry is the fate of the earth." Mei replied courtly, "nothing is heavier than that." The man's smirk grew and he couldn't stifle his chuckle as he placed both hands upon his walking cane.

"Very good, you're learning to accept your fate." He nodded absent mindedly to himself, the graduates slowly released their weapons. "Now then, your mission is to go to the border of Kumo and Rain country. From there you are to kill a few shinobi, present them to Hanzo and of course, eliminate the red haired man with violet eyes." Mei nodded in acceptance, her missions were usually sparing lives, protection details and the like. This would be her first assassination job and based on the number of people in her team, her opponents weren't exactly on her level. They were strong enough to need an entire generation of ; agents in training.

"Who ever returns, graduates the training course." The man continues with a careless shrug. "But if you return and Konoha is suspected in the attack then you all will be executed for treason, understood?"

"Yes sir." Mei alone answered, court and sharp, she didn't dare hide her glare from her master's sight. She wanted him to know that she would bring everyone back, she would protect and guide her teammates, no one was going to come back dead and the village wouldn't be blamed for his choices.

This time he wouldn't have an excuse to slaughter everyone in her care.

"I await your return, child of earth."

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In the month of hail, a few nights before the night of a full moon, during a horrendous storm that blackened the sky and filled every house with darkness and chilled the hearts of the survivors; a group of wandering shadows slipped through the storm like whispers of ghosts. The class of 30 split into six teams of five, headed by their honored mistress Mei, they dared not allow their presence be known by the slumbering signatures of their enemies. Each team was tasked to locate, observe, report, strategize on each of their selective teams and after reassembling their teams, annihilate their enemies. Meeting atop the tallest tower of the village, Mei turned to look at the crouching group of children obeying her stepped towards one boy closest to herself, she had given them all proper names before they left the village but she did not give them their teams; it was here she made her choice.

"Yasu, you will lead the eastern team. Rin, Akira, Shiori, and Yoshi are under your protection and guild." Yasu stood and stepped forward, without hesitance Mei met him and clasped their forearms together. "Guild them well my brother." Yasu nodded and stepped aside, his four teammates quickly taking to his side.

"Makoto, you will take the south side." Mei ordered as she turned to another young boy. "Tsubasa, Kyou, Shun and Yuu are yours to protect and guide." Mikoto rose to his feet and clasped Mei's forearm with quivering fingers. "Bring them home ototo."

"Ha-hai mi-mistress!" Makoto stuttered out unsurely. He stepped aside with his teammates, awaiting to be excused but not daring to leave.

"Yuki, fly to the north and do not look back," Mei ordered as she stepped towards the youngest in their group. "Raise the cry should backup arrives. Yasu, Minoru, Hikaru and Kaede will guild you well, listen to their words but know you decide their fates." The young boy nodded solemnly, Mei patted his head and let him give her a quick one armed hug before darting to his given placement. The elder children quickly followed him, heads bowed but voices silent; they know better then to question their mistress.

"Takara, take Kohaku, Sora, Kaoru and Haruka to the west," Mei ordered as she addressed the boy. "Focus on the rain and be careful of traps. Yours is the trickiest of them all." The boy nodded but didn't dare rise from his placement; he felt no affection for this girl who defies their master with every chance. Sighing, Mei turned to the last group.

"Minato, Michi, Naomi, Ren, do not leave my side." Mei ordered as she turned once more to face the sleeping village bathed in storm winds and night fall. She took three steps and before any of them could react she drew her Tanto and pointed at the eldest boy in their ranks. The gray haired medic didn't twitch as the blade stopped a foot short of his shapeless mask; that didn't stop a shiver from rolling up his spine though. He maybe in their honored Mistress's team, given the name Ren, but he knew full well the level of hatred she had for him.

"We are the children born in embers and ashes, raised in the deepest darkness of humanity's humiliation." Mei said the words like a vow but it was a reminder of who they were. "Should our enemy ask us why, we shall fall with the words of our ancestors." She took a deep breath, as if steadying herself for an impossibility that was slowly growing into reality before her very eyes. "Storms make trees grow deeper roots. Never forget this day, for we will grow strong because of it." Ren felt pride swell in his chest as he rose and fluidly joined the blade of his Tanto with that of his mistress's. Not long after they were joined by the blades of the others in their immense team.

"Storms force deeper roots!" They each repeated their Mistress, pride sounding strong in their voices.

...

* * *

...

Darui cursed as he raced through the ice-prick rain and slick mud that dared to defy him with every chakra powered leap. He was supposed to meet up with the informers four hours ago but they still had not approached his location; his worry grew when he smelled smoke on the wind. Now only twenty minutes out from the last checkpoint of his comrades, he could smell blood, burnt hair, acidic poison, and the shrill sound of a thousand screams seemed to echo in his mind as he pushed himself to go even faster than he was. He ignored the shattered remains of a village wall and the crumbling apart stone homes stained red and black from corpses and flame alike. Darui stretched out his senses, searching for the familiar warmth of his comrades but nothing more than a trickle of fear made itself known to him. With the blood and smoke in the air, it stifled his sense of smell. The raging storm of rain and ice blinded him, bidding everything but the flames stubbornly licking at stone. Even his hearing could only pick up the shrill wind, shattering stone, soft whimpering... whimpering! Only humans could make that distinctive whimper!

It could be a comrade of his!

Without thinking twice about it, he spun on his heel and darted into dark ruins of an alleyway. Appearing on the other side he barely managed to avoid the swinging katana aiming for his neck, but then there was a web of shinobi wire with motion detective mobs attached. He walked face first into a trap; literally.

"Darui-kun!" He turned carefully towards the voice, a flash of platinum blonde was his only clue before the familiar voice cried out again. "MOVE!" He leaped into the air, flying through a network of wires and tangling himself up in the elaborate web.

"Yukito-san! What happened?!" His voice was hoarse and dry, his comrade could only look away in shame.

"The others are dead," Yukito answered him sorrowfully, "I'll be joining them soon."

"Hell no!" Darui snarled, his chakra swarmed through his muscles to fill his blade; allowing him to sharpen his sword and cut through the wires without damaging his own body. In moments he was standing before Yukito, two swords ready for the next attack.

Except his opponents were children

"No..." Darui whispered, staring openly at the steadily increasing number of children. They were all dressed the same, long black yukatas with porcelain white shapeless masks. They all shared that haunting shapeless dark shadow figure...only their faces were plain white masks with their eye holes simple slits, as if they were glaring out at the world for the crimes held against them.

"Why are you doing this?!" Yukito yelled at them, her hand tightened on her wounded side where a steady stream of red and purple mixed together. "Shouldn't children be obeying their elders, not killing them in their sleep?!"

"We are children of embers and ashes." Yukito shivered as the shapeless shadows parted to allow, who she assumed to be their leader, another young child to approach. Out of all the children present, this silent leader was undoubtedly the smallest.

"We were raised in the darkness if humanity's greatest humiliation." Her short black hair was half pulled back into a high ponytail, tied in place by a silk ribbon stained crimson. Her mask was different as it was shaped into the overly elaborate look of a bird skull, framed by fried black feathers and its eye sockets observed by black tinted glass eyes. She wore the familiar black leather battle armor that Yukito has seen a dozen times on various high ranking Anbu operatives. She wore two weapons holsters, a very large and undoubtedly heavy back pouch, a small tanto strapped to her back beneath her black cloak of raven feathers.

"Should you fight us, we will fall with the words of our ancestors." The most terrifying part about the girl were her hands, they were wrapped in black leather gloves but the tips of the fingers were shiny silver claws that looked like bird tallens and on the backs of her hands were thick metal guards detailed with the carving of a scythe swirled twice over. Each of the shadows stepped back, kneeled and bowed their heads. Their whisper soft voices murmuring 'mistress' as if it were a chant that would protect them from her wrath.

"Storms make trees grow deeper roots," she stopped a dozen oases from them, head tilted to the side as if curious about the man standing before her. "Please dye quietly. We only need your bodies." Yukito felt her heart break with those simple words, as if the child thought that the request was simple and she didn't understand why they wanted to live.

"We can't do that little one," Darui answered slowly, his voice shook as he stared at the nightmarish image if a child. "We have a war to win."

"We have kin to protect," the little monster-leader countered easily. "Which is more important? Your lives or our siblings?" With that the children attacked, Yukito weeped as she released the demon sealed inside.

" _ **I am the Niibi, demon of souls, I will guide you to the peace in the afterlife**_."

The girl stared up at the flaming cat, seeming unconcerned with the danger.

"...you can try."

...

* * *

...

 **Does this chapter answer your question Guest-San? I'm not gonna spell it out for you or tell you point blank. There wouldn't be any surprises or suspense if I pointed it out and said "this is this person but it's a secret from the characters!" It wouldn't be a good story if all the readers could figure out the endgame before the characters themselves figured it out.**

 **Please be patient, everything will be revealed in time.**

 **In the meantime, I hope everyone liked this chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Shadow Man**

 **Koomahana**

Chapter 8: Graduation

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* * *

...

It had been three years since the apprentice program began, Sasuke and Naruto still butted heads with each other but remained obedient before their instructor. Chouko Ishikawa remained their part time instructor for two years, before then and claiming that they mastered whatever insane lesson she was trying to teach them. Neither one of them could figure out if she actually had a lesson plan in mind or if she was just fed up with them and needed a good excuse. As such, for their last year at the academy, they were both bounced around various instructors who would help them in one field or another. However none of them were outstanding themselves and so each instructor was easily surpassed by the two competitive boys. Or, in the case of one particular medic, they were completely ignored and dismissed on the first day. Needless to say they failed the medical training as horrendously as a snowball in hell survived the entrance. Sometimes they were separated and paired with someone else of their class but those training sessions never lasted long and the teacher in question appeared to have a migraine by the end of it.

So on the final day of the academy, Sasuke and Naruto remained seated side by side, board out of their minds and trying not to look at each other. Halfway through class their monotone-voiced instructor was, thankfully, interrupted by a group of Jonin entering the class. They each looked bored, exasperated, annoyed and distracted on various levels; none of them appeared to actually want to be an instructor.

"What the hell?" Naruto questioned none too quietly. "Where they forced to come here or something?"

"They look like they've been black mailed into the job." Sasuke agreed lowly, glaring out at the mass of jonins in complete boardum.

"Tch, if their faces are indicators of our future jobs, none of us are leaving the village till we're old and gray." Sasuke and Naruto looked behind them to see an agitated Ino glaring at the adults at the front of the class. "And by that I mean like, we'll be leaving by going six-feet under."

"If you want to get technical Ino," the blonde looked to the sleepy boy next to her. "Even dead we never left the village because our bodies would still be on village grounds." The blonde groaned in agreement, her baby-doll face slipping into her manicured palm easily.

"Well they certainly sound enthused," a hairy faced jonin drawled with a smirk. "Wonder who gets the misfortune to teach those two miserable brats."

"That would be you, Sarutobi-San." The chunin instructor dead panned.

"SAY WHAT?!" The man, Ino and boy shouted together. The instructor coughed into his hand several times, lifting his clipboard a little higher he quickly read of the names.

"Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi," he paused to look up at two of the teammates sitting in the back. "You three will be forming the genin cell ten, under the instruction of Asuma Sarutobi. The Sandaime's younger son."

"I don't care who he is!" Ino barked, jumping to her feet and pointing an accusing finger at the man. "He looks like a homeless, amnesiac who can't wield a weapon to save his own ass!" Naruto burst out laughing, not even bothering to hide or stifle his amusement. Shikamaru quickly pretended to go to sleep, hoping to avoid the coming argument. Choji blinked slowly before slipping under his desk and quietly munch on another chip, trying not to be noticed by his new teacher. Asuma remained speechless, his brow ticked and his cigarette threatened to fall on the floor.

"Wow, Azuma-kun," a red eyed kunoichi giggled, "not even five minutes passed and she already has you pegged."

"Talk about hitting the nail on the head," another jonin chuckled.

"Both of you shut up!" Asuma barked at them.

"Will the three named children please come down and leave with your instructor." The academy instructor said, his question sounding more like an order.

"Tch, I'm not going anywhere near the cancer-bag." Ino replied tartly.

"Ino-San, are you going to make me speak to your father again?" In an instant, Ino was standing before her academy instructor with a pale face, wobbly smile and one very annoyed Nara in hand. Shikamaru crossed his arms and relaxed his body, making Ino's hand tighten on the collar of his coat as he leaned gracelessly against her leg.

"Oh come on," Shikamaru grunted in annoyance. "Leave me alone already."

"Choji!" Ino barked, ignoring Shikamaru's complaints.

"Coming, coming." Choji called as he stumbled to his feet and approached her. The instructor turned to Asuma with a board expression, as if expecting something of him.

"If the boys misbehave sick Ino-San on them, they'd do almost anything to make her shut up." The instructor drawled, he ignored the looks given to him by said children with practiced ease. "And if Ino-san misbehaves, threaten with a visit to her father. She'll obey quickly and without question."

"Oi! Don't tell him that!" Ino barked at him, of course her academy instructor ignored her with ease

"Please leave the classroom to begin your testing." Asuma stared blankly at the chunin before sighing heavily and turning on his heel, intending to jump out the nearest window. Ino grumbled and growled but followed her new teacher, dragging Shikamaru across the wooden floor and allowing Choji to follow of his own free will. Once team ten were gone, Ino still dragged Shikamaru until he got tired of being dragged across hot roof tiles, the academy instructor turned to the rest of his class.

"Anyone else going to be a smart mouth or can we continue without interruption?" The students grumbled, yawned, and ignored him for their own conversations; as if they could careless where each of them went. The man blinked slowly, shrugged carelessly, and began listing off teams; with each team number assigned the following students left with their respected teacher. Sasuke was dismayed to hear that he was paired with Naruto but he also noticed how their third teammate hadn't been named. Frowning in confusion, Sasuke kept silent even as Naruto turned to him with a frown. Of course his idiot teammate hadn't missed a beat and noticed the difference as well, they were the only team of two. Hearing a familiar shout, quickly followed by a sigh, Sasuke turned to see Kiba cheering next to Hinata. He should've figured that Hinata and Kiba would've been paired together; he was however hoping to be placed on a team with her. It would've made communication and investigation so much easier.

"Sasuke-san, Naruto-san, you're third teammate and instructor will both arrive here soon," their teacher said in a tone of boredom as he tapped his documents on his desk and rose to his feet. "Please be patient until their arrival. Don't leave this room, don't speak, don't move from your seats, don't fight, don't break anything, and for the love of the sanin _don't argue_ with your teacher." Here their teacher gave them a warning look, as if he was merely saying his rehearsed lines but knew full well they wouldn't listen to him. "Your instructor is the former student of the fourth hokage, a former Anbu captain, a child genius and most trusted jonin of the Sandaime Hokage. If he decides you're not worthy of being a shinobi then kiss your dreams good bye."

"Hey bastard, you wanna get ramen?" Naruto asked, sliding the door to the class room open

"Better than nothing," Sasuke yawned, not caring nor listening to his academy instructor. The chunin blinked as the door closed, he stared at his empty classroom for a moment before sighing and turning for the exit closer to him.

"They're dead."

...

* * *

...

 **I finally got my hands on a computer! XD**

 **I went back and made the necessary adjustments but I'm still not sure about the** **grammar**

 **thank you all for reading this far and I have a question for you: Should I make Sai, Karen or Sakura as the boy's missing third teammate? I think it would be a little too convenient if they met Sakura so soon but that's me...**

 **please tell me your thoughts! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

Shadow Man

Koomahana

chapter 9: Sai, the third member

...

...

She stared out at the blue summer sky, watching the white clouds roll by at a snail's pace. She enjoyed fall days like this one, it reminded her of the last time she saw her friend. She and all thirty of her classmates had finally passed their final exam and have since been split into their own teams. If she didn't think that it served some darker peruse, she would feel relieved with her own teammates. Root members seven and thirty were two of the best in the class, their true names forgotten they did everything their master ordered of them. The only benefit was that they accepted her names of Minato and Naomi long ago so when they were alone it was their names she used. Naomi she liked because the she was the only other girl in the operation and she had to undergo the same horrible hair dye she herself had to endure for the year. Naomi was silent with her opinions and made sure that she had at least three back up plans in case her original plan failed. Naomi was cautious and wiry, remaining quiet and obedient in front of their master despite becoming a chatterbox when they were paired together for a mission. She didn't mind, it was the same habit her old friend had when they were alone and she found that it had become a familiar and greatly appreciated routine. Naomi reminded her greatly of her old friend and that familiarity is probably the only thing that kept the other girl from getting the same cold treatment as their other teammate. There were times where she wanted to hit Minato hard enough to send him flying but she also knew better then to strike him because he was their master's unexplained favorite. She only called him Minato because the name meant 'harbor' and the boy could sometimes get... overbearing. Other then that he was the perfect soldier to their master. He kept his mouth shut at all times, threw away all opinions and self-perseverance, remained at her side regardless of how she threatened him (or how detailed she became with such threats) and he always went for the most efficient kill in whatever scenario was happening in front him. He was intelligent, hard working, stubborn (in concerns to her only) and had a bad habit of stalking her on a daily basis.

"Hisuiru-sama," case in point, she only got an hours worth of rest before he appeared. "We've been tasked to chose someone of our rank to be teamed with the village secret." Yawning in boredom she sat up and looked at the boy through her hair. Beside Minato was Naomi and several others of their class year, all kneeling with bowed heads and nervous energy swirling inside. She could see Ren towards the front, kneeling just behind Naomi and Minato. She still hadn't gotten her vengeance on the medic-reject and the fact that he had been assigned to her team only made her coals of hatred burn even hotter.

"The village secret," Mei murmured softly, her head tilting to the side as she tried to remember which secret that one was. "The Yondaime's son?" Minato nodded in silent agreement, she had given the name because of his tendencies to be overwhelming but she had primarily given him the name because her teammate could be just as powerful as the fourth was; that was the potential she saw in him.

"Hmmm, what were the names given to us?" Mei asked softly; she noted how Minato and Naomi both glanced at each Other.

"The difference in weapons is found in the minerals used." Minato answered slowly. Mei hummed and slowly sat up to observe the group of thirty carefully. While she did not treasure them the way a shinobi of the leaf should, she did value their lives and knew without a doubt that the one she chose to send would be the one placed in the most danger. Out of everyone, Naomi and Ren had the best healing qualities, no one could compare to them (except her of course). But Ren was too old to be a newly graduated academy student and Naomi still had problems healing others without fainting. Perhaps she should send someone less likely to become wounded...

"The difference in weapons..." She murmured slowly as she stared out at the group. "The minerals used..." Minerals were another term for earth and Mei meant earth, so she was the one to chose who to send to protect the Youndaime's son. They were all considered as weapons to their master; they were simple tools used for a task and thrown away when no longer needed. That meant her clue was the word 'difference', that was the name she was going to have choose. There weren't any names with that meaning that she was aware off but maybe she should use an element of a name. If she took some names related to the earth, such as names taking after plants or a literal relation to the earth she might be able to figure something out.

A sudden ringing jolted her out of her thoughts, the sound reverberated through the air and startled the tentative peace of the field. She had no time to react before her classmates were surrounding her on all sides and crouched low for a battle. Stomping down on a feeling of disgust, she looked over at Yuki and watched as his hands fumbled together to form a sigh that helped him with his bloodline. She felt the warmth of his chakra roll over her body as his pristine white eyes glowed beneath his mask, she relaxed under the comforting weight of a fuzzy blanket settling over her.

"Its...its a wedding procession," Yuki murmured lowly. "I've never seen someone in so much white before..." That was a strange observation, white was often used as a symbol of purity and some people believes that nothing was purer than the earth. A sudden although struck her and she grinned beneath her mop of dyed black hair.

"Yuki, show me." She disappeared before anyone could stop her, Yuki was soon beside her, guiding her through the trees to the place that he could see. It wasn't long before they were standing in a tree near the edge of the forest, overlooking a large road filled with the parade of a noble woman's marriage procession. She could see beautiful crafted westria branches crawling up the sides of the platform to bath the couple in a beautiful violet blossoms. The two in question were kneeling on their platform, hands clasps, eyes closed and heads bowed in prayer.

A wisteria, purity and worship... There was only one name that came to mind with those qualities.

"Saitou," she murmured, smiling at Yuki. "I chose the name Saitou." The boy smiled shyly at her, together they turned back to head back into the forest to the field where the others would be waiting. They didn't take a single step before seeing Ren, Naomi, and Minato standing together on a tree; waiting patiently. Smiling Mei leaped into the air, she could feel the signatures of her classmates around her and knew she didn't put enough power into the jump to reach the next branch. She reached out expectantly to the branch but wasn't surprised when they slid right off the bark, sending her careening dangerously to the forest floor. It wasn't long before a warm body was slamming into hers and pinning her to a tree trunk, she knew without a doubt that she hadn't fallen for more than a meter before her savior acted. The boy wrapped his arms around her and easily slipped them both to the ground gracefully, landing on his feet he easily slipped her onto her own before keeling expectantly. She opened her eyes and wasn't surprised to see the thirty children surrounding her on ground and trunks, all cramped together and bowing respectfully. She looked up and made eye contact with Takara, the only one who was sitting on a branch and staring down on her coolly.

"I have chosen the name westria, purity and worship," Mei said calmly addressing everyone. She turned to look down at her companion, the boy who hasn't left her side since his return to the village four years ago. "Minato rise," the boy stiffened but did so, his eyes remaining glued to the ground at his feet. Smiling gently, Mei carefully lifted her hand gently rose his face until she could look into his eyes. "Minato, I rename you Saitou for this mission, all reports are to be signed with this name. You will introduce yourself as Sai and be known by all others as Sai. Your mission is to take part in the new team and protect the village's secret. Understand?"

"Yes mistress," he smiled at her, holding back the warmth his eyes desperately wanted to shed. Now was not the time to show a weakness, especially with Takara watching so closely.

…

…

Sasuke yawned tiredly beside his teammate, plopping his face into one hand while he pushed the rest of his bowel towards Naruto. It was an hour past noon and he was getting tired of waiting for their teacher, maybe the person didn't have enough brain cells to go looking for them. Naruto snatched up Sasuke's bowel and downed it in one shot, setting it down he was about to order his seventh bowel when he was interrupted by a voice outside.

"Onee-sama why must I go back to the academy? I have been training as an apprentice for years now. Why must I be set onto a team of idiots?" Sasuke looked up at the two who entered the ramen stand. The girl was small, looking like she was made of sticks and clouds instead of flesh and bone. The boy was tall and just as gangly as the girl, with matching inky black hair and ghostly pale skin.

"Onii-San, your the elder of us," the girl sighed as gingerly sat on the stool. "If you don't hurry to the academy, the Uchiha boy and Uzumaki boy will question your competency. When that happens, honored Hatake-San will demote you and instead of becoming a shinobi worthy of your headband, you'll be stuck at the library all day, unable to get any physical exercise of any kind. In other words, if you're late then all the effort you put into becoming an apprentice will be for not. Now go and stop pouting at me."

The boy sighed heavily in defeat before turning and walking away. It took Sasuke three seconds to realize that the girl wasn't joking before he grabbed Naruto's collar and took off towards the academy, a simple note was left behind for Taichi about their fee. They were unaware of the girls sneaky smirk or the amusement dancing in her hidden eyes.

"Ah, hello Mrs. How can I help you?" The ramen stand owner asked, the girl lifted emerald hell-flame eyes and smiled sweetly at the ramen stand owner.

"I'll pay for these two boy's fee as well as purchase thirty bowels of your most ordered ramen flavor."

"Th-thirty bowels?!" He asked loudly.

"Yes please," she smiled at him. "My siblings haven't ever had it before. Our father is very strict you see and I intend to introduce it to them at least once."

"My apologies Mrs, but I can't comprehend having thirty children and remaining sane." The girl chuckled as he went to work on the order, even going so far as asking for his apprentice to come out and help.

"Oh we're not all blood related," she giggled at him. "But we all live in the same household so I claim them as siblings."

"How on earth can you get their names straight?" He asked while shaking his head in amusement but the girl never answered him.

He didn't mind too much, he had a lot of orders to take care of

…

…

Sasuke panted heavily as he raced beside Naruto, it was sheer dumb luck they had stumbled across their third teammate at the ramen stand. Even dumber luck was finding out the name of their teacher, both of them had met with Kakashi Hatake before. To say they were terrified of his reaction to their lack of presence would be an understatement. They skidded around a corner and dived further down the hall, nearly blasting the door off in their hurry to enter without being caught out of the classroom.

"Idiot!" Sasuke barely managed to yank Naruto the side in time to avoid a blurt of a body. Crashing to the cold hard wooden floors both boys hurriedly looked up at their assailant. They remained frozen in shock as they stared in bewilderment at the young girl standing in the center of their classroom. She was dressed in black slacks and a black crop top revealing fishnets and a silver breastplate. Her arm guards and shin guards were silver plates mimicking scales, matching plates wrapped around her middle but left her stomach revealed for the world to see. Her neck was wrapped in a silver serpent choker, its tail and mouth wrapped around a simple sapphire as if it were gently coxing a blue egg into its mouth. Her black hair was cropped short in the back so her long bangs could frame her thin face; making her appear to mimic the face of her pendant. Her eyes were thin slits in her smooth tanned face, overly highlighting her neon jade eyes and making her face appear even more serine than the hair cut and thin features suggested.

"Honestly Nii-San!" The girl lowered her leg just in time to catch the blur's fists with both of her hands, his speed and weight managed to push her back a foot before they were both stopped in a deadlock.

"What do you think you're doing Naomi?" Sasuke's eyes widened as he stared at the boy barely managing to keep back the girl. "Onee-sama said I could come."

"Saitou is a last name! I have every right to be here!" The girl snarled at him like an animal, her eyes glinting like blades. "Besides, you're a little old to be assailed a genin cell now of all times."

"Onee-sama is not yet experienced enough to leave the compound," the boy replied calmly, a smile tilting his lips. "You are the only medic she allows near her person. Even Ren can't reach her." The girl growled lowly in the back of her throat, her narrowed emerald eyes narrowing further on her elder brother.

"Um excuse me?" Sasuke called out as he waved one hand in the air peacefully. "Do your two mind not fighting in our classroom? We're to meet our teacher and third teammate here." The two siblings didn't part but the boy did turn his face to look down at Sasuke and Naruto as if he just realized they were there. Sasuke and Naruto pushed themselves up, rising to their feet and positioning themselves for a quick retreat should the siblings in question decide to ignore their protests.

"I'm sure Kakashi-sensei will be here soon," Naruto said, staring curiously at the two kids. They were dressed similarly but the biggest difference between them was that the boy didn't have jewelry or protective plates on his body; he was dressed only in his slacks, black turtleneck and his headband was wrapped snuggly around his head. The boy also had flat black hair, though his was cropped significantly shorter than his sister's and it emphasized his rounder features compared to her thinner ones. Sasuke took in a deep breath, recalling what was said earlier and tried to figure out what clan the two siblings belonged to. By appearances they both were dressed in unusual black clothes, with flat black hair and the most startling shade of green eyes. While the girl's eyes looked like they belonged on a serpent and were a bright jade green, the boy's eyes were flat apple green and so emotionless that they almost appeared to belong on the face of a corpse. The boy's unnaturally pale skin didn't help with this corpse comparison in Sasuke's mind.

"Ah, hello I am Sai," the boy nodded his head and released his sister. Giving her a firm look he hissed lowly at her, "Get back to Hisuiru-sama now or else I'll inform master of your defiance." The girl's face went white in sheer terror, too fast for the boys to see the girl was leaping out the window and disappearing from sight. "Please forgive my sister, she often forgets her place." The boy smiled peacefully at them, but it looked so wrong on his face that they had no problem labeling it as 'fake' and it made them suspicious of the boy.

"...What place?" Naruto asked, frowning at the boy, "She's your sister, shouldn't her place be at your side?"

"My apologies. Naomi and I are not related by blood." Sai's obviously fake smile didn't slip even as he tilted his head to the side, as if he thought this information was obvious. "We do live on a compound with our other siblings if that is any consolation."

"...That doesn't answer Naruto's question," Sasuke glared at the boy. "If she is family, then she shouldn't be treated like an object." the boy's smile faded and he stared in utter confusion at Sasuke, as if he didn't understand this reasoning.

"We are all objects in the Hokage's eyes," Sai informed them, "how then, am I to treat my sister who is the same status as my self?" Sasuke and Naruto were at a loss for words they didn't have an answer, they both shared confused looks before looking back at their teammate.

"You're weird," Naruto replied bluntly and for once, Sasuke couldn't find himself to disagree

...

...

 **sorry for the late update, I was struggling with life**

 **I didn't get as many reviews as I was hoping for on the last chapter so I just swung with my gut and started** **writing. I got about half way when I realized that there was an actual vote for Sai so I kept going with it. now I'm hoping that the rest of the story will flow with Cannon, especially since there'll be some changes.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Shadow Man**

 **Koomahana**

Chapter 10: Saitou, real or fake?

...

...

Kakashi stared dully at his Hokage, wondering once more if the man had lost what few marbles he still had. Hiruzen Sarutobi remained staring at him, soft smile never falling and dark eyes glittering mischiviously. Kakashi thought he made his choice clear, he would not under any circumstances take on any students; not even if they were his teacher's precious child.

"I told you hokage-sama, I am not teaching anyone who isn't apart of the Anbu regiment already." Kakashi glared at Hiruzen, trying to make his point clear. "Minato-sender's kid isn't going to change anything."

"Not even with his paring to Sasuke Uchiha?" Hiruzen questioned, his smile widening into a smirk. He knew that Itachi once managed to get Kakashi to promise to take care of Sasuke should anything ever happen to him. Just how the Uchiha heir did that was a mystery to Hiruzen and he had a distinct feeling that it should remain that way.

"Not even for Sasuke," Kakashi hissed. Taking those two brats out on a training mission had been miserable and he threatened Hiruzen with retirement if the old man punished him like that a again. Needless to say he was kept in ANBU these last two years successfully and without interruption by the two trouble-making brats. Hiruzen chuckled darkly, making Kakashi straighten subconsciously. He watched widely as Hiruzen leaned all his weight onto his elbows that were braced on his pine desk, his smile disappeared and his glittering mischievous eyes darkened into a troubled and angry glare.

"Then what of the mysterious orphan boy?" Hiruzen asked, staring intently at Kakashi. The ANBU captain straightened with the question, his eyes widening as a sliver of fear curled in the pit of his stomach. "He suddenly appeared in our documents of the team selection. He's eleven months older than Naruto-kun, has lived as an orphan until he was taken in by a clan four years ago and was trained by one of their ANBU clan members ever since. They've deemed him ready for interaction with the outside world and have since asked to place him on a genin team."

"What clan would be so hospital?" Kakashi asked, his mind cycling through all his memories to pinpoint the possible clan. None of their shinobi clans have ever taken in an orphan and willing trained them to be a shinobi. Even their kindest clans, the Akimichi and Naras, have never taken in an orphan. It wasn't that they all thought they were to good for adopting, they just viewed their bloodlines or secret jutsus too precious to lose to someone who might end up leaving the village or was a spy from another village.

"According to the file, the clan is named Saitou." Hiruzen continued, his voice chilling as memories from years ago slowly surfaced. "Unfortunately nothing else is known of this clan. I have Ibiki and Inoichi looking into the clan now but if who the master is who I think it is..."

"You don't seriously think _he_ would reappear now of all times do you?" Kakashi asked lowly, his voice straining with the whisper. "It's been nearly ten years Hokage-sama, surely he doesn't think we've forgotten him."

"Hmm, that's hard to say but," Hiruzen glared at the distant wall, lost in thought and memory as he tried to consider everything possible. "He may be trying to get an agent in, a sleeper agent that's unaware of his own status until his given mission is revealed at an appropriate time."

"But Hokage-sama, where could he be bidding all these years? He has no allies outside of Konoha and this village wants him dead just as much as the others do!" Kakashi tried to reason himself out of the situation. If the man they were tiptoeing around was truly involved then they could take no chances; the mysterious boy would have to be executed.

"Iwa wouldn't risk housing him, Kumo hates him for the slaughter three years ago, Suna would never betray our trust, Mizu wouldn't betray Kumo." Hiruzen listed the countries and their reasons for not housing his old teammate, at this point he could only pray that his assumptions and connections still held true of the other villages. "None of the smaller countries would house him for fear of being crushed by the five nations..."

"No way in hell would Hanzo of Rain country allow him to live, not after his attempted assassination through manipulation of Jiraiya's student." Kakashi continued with Hiruzen left off, "but then... Where could he go Hokage-sama?"

"That is a disturbing question," Hiruzen answered. "It is a question I have no answer for...and one I fear the answer of." Closing his eyes in acceptance, Kakashi prayed that his teacher would gift him with the same patience he had when dealing with his younger self.

"Hokage-sama," Kakshi's voice was calm and collected, a kind of steal sounding in his voice when he was so close to killing that traitor from eight years ago. "I accept the responsibility of teaching genin cell seven. I will not let another precious village secret fall into _that man's_ hands."

Hiruzen smiled bitterly at Kakashi, he prayed that this time Kakashi could keep his promise

…

…

Naruto glared at the white haired man standing in the doorway, one hand rubbing against the back of his neck while he chuckled nervously at them. Sasuke remained sitting beside him, nose deep in a book he didn't care to know the tittle of. Sai, their third teammate, sat on the window edge, etching away in a little pad as if they weren't stuck together until time forgot them. The new team seven met for the first time just before twilight, in those still bright hours before the sun began its descent. Now it the sun has long since passed, leaving the boys bathed in nothing but the annoying orange light of the academy room. It was only now, a few minutes before the clock ticked ten, that their notoriously late Jonin instructor decided to appear; preventing Naruto from face-planting the desk and slipping into a deep sleep.

"Shall we go then?" Kakashi asked, trying to smile reassuringly at them

"You're kidding right?" Naruto glared at him, "It's almost midnight!"

"Mom has to be worried and Inari is still outside, waiting for me," Sasuke said as he snapped his book shut and rose to his feet. "I should return to the compound before mother sends brother after me."

"My apologies Hatake-san, but my little sister is calling me," Sai said as he rose to his feet, perching on the windowsill like a cat. "Perhaps we should meet here tomorrow, before the academy starts." the boy hesitated going out the window for a moment, he looked back at Kakashi thoughtfully. "The roof top directly above us is the most likely location for unwanted disturbance next meeting. I will meet you three there tomorrow morning." with that he disappeared into the night, his black clothes camouflage him in the dark trees and shadows of the village, leaving behind nothing but the cold touch of an autumn's breeze.

"Well he's demanding," Kakashi smiled at the remaining two boys, who only glared back at him in warning

"If you show up late Sensei, I'm sting-bombing your apartment," Naruto warned as he followed Sasuke out the window, leaving Kakashi behind in the now empty classroom. Kakashi stared at the open window for a moment, he had the distinctive urge to give chase and start the test early just to mess with them but he also knew that Inari would most likely go second-stage on him. There was also the possibility of 'Sai's' kid sister getting involved and as much as Kakashi wanted to get to the bottom of the little might-be-spy, he had no intentions of letting his enemy know that he knew something was up.

The best way to catch a rat was to think like a rat, and sometimes that involved some really dirty water

…

...

He glared out his office window, his source of irritation had already dealt with his punishment and was currently lying unconscious in her quarters with number seventy and eighty-three hovering over her. The only reason he didn't outright kill the girl was because of her unknown level of potential and the fact that the 'shadow man's only ever talked to her. Still her actions to place one of his men onto the team with the demon child nearly brought him out into the open. The only thing that possibly saved him was that 'Saitou' was a common civilian name and it was used often as a surname for his undercover agents. Their various histories all over the village (combined with their similar appearances) was let the snooping little mind reader settle down on his hunt. The sacred dragon of TI was another story. Ibiki knew full well the lengths he would go to remain hidden but he hadn't taken into account of his previous little translator's bouts of defiance. Granted the girl's actions gave them a stable location to move in and out of, that didn't mean she hadn't nearly ruined everything. The only benefit he saw to the sprawling compound of the northern forest was that the back two hackers were on the edge of the Hokage mountain, allowing his men free access to come and go unhindered and unquestioned from quarters to assignments.

He shifted at his desk just in time to watch one of his newer graduate roots appear in the office, kneeling and waiting to be called on. The young man's copper orange hair slipped over one shoulder, obscuring a part of his face. They had remained at the compound for nearly a month now, he was getting more used to detecting the soft sounds of his agents and distinguishing them from the sounds of intruders or animals. At least he wasn't throwing kunai at his men anymore, he was finally relaxed enough to acknowledge their presence without testing their flexibility; although there were a few humorous reactions.

"What is it fifty-three?" He demanded coldly, he wasn't in the mood to hear another empty report on Mei's development.

"Master," the boy greeted, his voice soft and empty of emotion. "Eighty-three has begun to distribute the hair dye and contacts used on Mei-sama and seventy."

"Does she plan on having all of her classmates look like her?" He scoffed, if she kept up the small acts of defiance he might have to remind her about her previous classmates.

"As Mei-sama is unconscious, I assume she is unaware of eighty-three's decision." Fifty-three continued decisively. He scowled out the window, of course eighty-three would see the benefits of others their age sharing the same features as Mei. If they were apart of a clan then it wouldn't do for them to look so vastly different, there was a benefit to looking similar to each other. The man tapped his finger impatiently on the desk, refusing to look at the boy kneeling in the darker center of the room. The boy continued, slowly, hesitantly, as if he wasn't sure where to begin or what subject to start. "The compound has a wall surrounding the outer perimeter with an extensive forest covering eighty-seven percent of the compound. Three percent is covered by an artificial river and lake. Leaving the remaining ten percent of land being the various buildings that we use as a 'clan'."

Meaning that the training facilities, bed rooms, showers, dining rooms and such were apart of the various buildings dotting around the compound. He wondered just how Mei had managed to pull off the task of purchasing the land, or more importantly, how she managed to create a public history of a non-existent shinobi clan without raising any questions. He knew what he was getting when he ordered his men to stalk the girl, once he actually had the girl in his ranks he realized just how much of a gem the girl truly was. The 'shadow man' may call upon her once a month or so but her own skills were not to be taken lightly either. Her intelligence was the first thing to take note of and to keep a mind on. As she could verbally riddle-walk her way around even a few of his more trusted Naras, he had no doubt of her intellectual level. The second thing of note would be level of chakra, while it was lower than most animals it was her control over said energy that was worthy of fear. Within a year of training her till she dropped, the girl had mastered her own version of the stone-fist technique that Tsunade of the Senju clan created. It was only when she brought down half of his hidden training bunkers during practice that he realized what kind of gem he truly had in his possession. Granted her destruction of his favorite training place warranted her a week's worth of pain induced coma, he still urged her to train ever more with this new power she unlocked.

"Master?" Fifty-three called tentatively, as if he was afraid to draw his master's ire

"What?" he asked gruffly

"The others are wondering if this new compound is to be our new dorms," the boy said, wording his question in a way that hid his own hope at the prospect of a stable sleeping environment. He was miffed that even fifty-three wanted a steady, solid location to rely on for sleep but he supposed that it was only natural. The children in his 'care' learned quickly to carry as little as possible, relying only on their weapons and sealing scrolls to contain their various objects. As all personal objects were left behind upon their recruitment or after their first (or seventh) sudden emergency relocation, he doubted any of them had something to call 'personal' anymore.

"I see no point in destroying the compound," he huffed and looked out the window again, glaring out at the distant trees that housed singing birds. "It would bring suspicion if this sector was suddenly a flame. Your classmates may remain behind here for a time but we will expand for the others to return and rest here as well."

"Yes master, is that all?" he shooed the eager boy away, allowing him to flee before he changed his mind. There were times were rewarding someone for their show of obedience was better than punishing them for a show of emotion, even if the show was an unconscious slip-up. He stood stiffly from his seat, using his cane to give him leverage, and hobbled his way out to the wrap around porch of the main building. He stood next to one of the support beams and turned his face towards the sapphire sky, letting the wind whisk by and fill his nose with the sweet scent of blossoms.

Perhaps there was a benefit to finding a stable compound for his men to recuperate in

...

...

 **Hope you all liked it, can you let me know if I misspelled something or if my phone autcorrected something? I'm fairly sure I got everything but a second set of eyes, or a hundred, never hurt anyone.**

 **please and thank you!**

 **and please don't forget to review!**


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